Chinese fear boomerang of anger against West

Critics argue that Beijing has had a role in fanning the xenophobic sentiment to counter international condemnation of its crackdown on Tibetan rioters, but now Chinese officials appear to be trying to rein in the vitriol.

Chinese censors have quietly warned cyber police and Internet businesses to delete all information related to protests against Western policies, nations or companies that have proliferated in the wake of protests surrounding the global Olympic torch relay and high-level calls to boycott the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Beijing.

The notice issued by China’s “Internet Inspection Sector” this week instructs recipients to reset the keywords used to block access to certain Web sites, relay the instructions through all Internet distribution channels and delete the notice in a timely manner.

The censors’ notice cites the danger that Internet-fueled emotions could lead to unrest.

“Internet users are in a most intense mood toward Western countries,” it said. “Such information has shown a tendency to spread and, if not checked in time, could even lead to events getting out of control as they did with the April 9 incident against Japan.”

That was a reference to April 2005, when demonstrators attacked Japan’s embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai, burned Japanese goods and beat Japanese citizens over Tokyo’s bid to join the Security Council and Japanese textbooks that downplayed Tokyo’s World War II aggression.

A planned event to give away patriotic T-shirts near Beijing’s Qinghua University this week was reportedly halted by police. Internet postings say police have contacted people who made online calls for other demonstrations and told them to drop the idea.

The growing resentment toward foreigners comes during a year when China is hoping to showcase its hospitality to the world in advance of the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics.

The Chinese government is caught in something of a bind as it tries to manage foreign criticism without appearing weak in the eyes of angry Chinese; “otherwise, it becomes the target of that anger,” said Chu Shulong, a professor with Beijing’s Qinghua University.

France has become a particular target of mass Chinese anger after pro-Tibet, Darfur and other human rights activists attacked the Olympic torch this month in Paris, forcing bearers to retreat to a bus and shorten the route. Earlier, French President Nicolas Sarkozy became the first world leader to suggest he might boycott the opening ceremony.

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